Compact portable sunshade for face protection

ABSTRACT

A portable compact sunshield apparatus for the head of a sunbather includes a substantially rectangular and planar base, hanging hooks, and an expandable canopy assembly. The canopy assembly further includes a plurality of inverted substantially U-shaped support members forming substantially 90-degree angles between two vertical segments and a horizontal segment of each said support member. 
     An opaque material covers at least the horizontal segments of at least two of the inverted U-shaped support members, and two pivot means are attached to said rectangular and planar base for movably combining free ends of said vertical segments of the inverted U-shaped support members. Substantially open side areas, preferably with screen sections, allow for air flow.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is related to and claims priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/818,407 filed Jul. 3, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to face sunshades removablefrom outdoor furniture and, more particularly, this invention relates tolightweight removable sunshades for outdoor lounge chairs with improvedair circulation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Prior to the conception and development of the present invention,sunbathers and the like have tried numerous ways to protect their faceand eyes from the sun. Sunbathers reclined facing the sun often willplace an article of clothing over the face. While offering sunprotection, poor airflow around the face results in warm anduncomfortable conditions around the head.

Some styles of chairs and chaise lounges for outdoor use have beendesigned with built-on sunshields or canopies. U.S. Pat. No. 270,224illustrates a folding adjustable canopy for deck chairs. U.S. Pat. No.5,092,653 discloses a chaise lounge having an adjustable canopy. U.S.Pat. No. 5,395,157 discloses a sunbathing chair which includes a builtin collapsible sun shield.

There is also prior art for sunshades removable from outdoor chairs. InU.S. Pat. No. 4,093,305, Staroste discloses a collapsible sunshade thatclamps onto the side frame of a lounge chair. Ziolkowski in U.S. Pat.No. 4,915,120 discloses a canopy designed primarily for folding lawnchairs. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,405, Foster et al teach a removablesunshade attachment for the back of lounge chairs. There are fourdrawbacks common to the prior art for removable sunshades. One is thefocus on attaching the apparatus to tubular metal frames of loungechairs. While these may still be common, lounge chairs made of allplastic are in abundance. Another drawback is the extension of theshields somewhat along the sides and back, as well as overhead, thusrestricting cross ventilating air flow. A third problem is keeping theface fully covered when reclined and the sun is relatively low in thesky. Finally, the size and weight may make it inconvenient for a personto carry to the beach or pool when they have a number of other items totransport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a portable compact sunshield apparatusfor the head of a sunbather and includes a substantially rectangular andplanar base, hanging hooks, and an expandable canopy assembly. Thecanopy assembly further includes a plurality of inverted substantiallyU-shaped support members forming substantially 90-degree angles betweentwo vertical segments and a horizontal segment of each said supportmember.

An opaque material covers at least the horizontal segments of at leasttwo of the inverted U-shaped support members, and two pivot means areattached to said rectangular and planar base for movably combining freeends of said vertical segments of the inverted U-shaped support members.Substantially open side areas, preferably with screen sections, allowfor air flow. Another option is to have screen material making up a rearpanel of the canopy assembly.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention toprovide a small, portable sunshade for sunbathers that overcomes theaforementioned drawbacks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removablesunshade for lounge chairs that will offer complete and adjustableshielding of the entire face regardless of sun angle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a compact,portable sunshade that can be used on numerous types of chairs as wellas directly on the sand of a beach.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustablesunshade that still allows for significant air flow past the users head.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a portableadjustable sunshade that allows air flow around the user's head whilerestricting the entry of insects.

In addition to the various objects and advantages of the presentinvention described with some degree of specificity above, it should beobvious that additional objects and advantages of the present inventionwill become more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled inthe relevant art from the following more detailed description of theinvention, particularly, when such description is taken in conjunctionwith the attached drawing figures and with the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable sunshade deployed on aplastic lounge chair.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention in a retracted position.

FIG. 3 provides a depiction of the invention being used in conjunctionwith a beach blanket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PRESENTLY PREFERRED AND VARIOUS ALTERNATIVEEMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Prior to proceeding to the more detailed description of the presentinvention it should be noted that, for the sake of clarity andunderstanding, identical components which have identical functions havebeen identified with identical reference numerals throughout the severalviews illustrated in the drawing figures.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, the portable sunshade apparatus 10 isshown deployed on the back of a reclining outdoor lounge chair 30forming somewhat of a cabana for just the head. The base 16 of thesunshade is temporarily attached to the back of the chair 30 with atleast two hooks 14, which can optionally be bendable and/or removable.The opaque shade material 12, having an SPF rating of at least 30, isattached to and supported by substantially rigid frame members 15. Theframe members 15 converge at and are movably attached on each side ofthe base 16 to a pivot mechanism 18. This pivot mechanism 18 can be anyone of numerous examples in the prior art, such as those described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,320,405, U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,305, or U.S. Pat. No.4,915,120, all incorporated herein by reference. The sides of theapparatus are substantially open to allow air flow and preferably arecovered with a screen material 15. While not shown, it is also preferredthat the top panel closest to the base 16 also be a screen.

In FIG. 2, the sunshade apparatus is shown in the retractedready-to-transport position. The base 16 can be made of any substancecapable of firmly holding the pivot mechanism 18 in place. The framesupport members 15 converge at the pivot mechanism 18 and are free torotate. Preferably, the pivot mechanism includes a position lockingfeature, such as a spring loaded pin, to hold the sunshade open orclosed to the desired degree. The sun-blocking material is preferablysomething strong and thin, such as nylon, but any durable material withan SPF rating of at least 30 would be sufficient. The chair-mountinghooks 20 are preferably bendable and replaceable so that the sunshadecan be mounted on all types of chairs. They could be removed and storedfor use on the sand of a beach only.

FIG. 3 depicts an alternative use of the apparatus independent of achair. In this case, the base 16, with or without the hooks, is placedon one end of a beach blanket 32. The support members 15 covered withthe sun-shielding material 12 are shown attached to the pivot mechanism18. On the sides, and optionally the rear-most panel, there islightweight, flexible screen material 14. The sun-blocking material 12would preferably extend slightly down the sides as well. Adistinguishing feature of the shade apparatus is its compact naturebecause it is designed to cover only the head of the user.

While a presently preferred and various alternative embodiments of thepresent invention have been described in sufficient detail above toenable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the same, itshould be obvious that various other adaptations and modifications canbe envisioned by those persons skilled in such art without departingfrom either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A portable sunshield apparatus comprising: a) a substantiallyrectangular and planar base; b) an expandable canopy assembly including:(i) a plurality of inverted substantially U-shaped support members; (ii)an opaque material covering at least said horizontal segment of at leasttwo of said inverted U-shaped support members; (iii) two pivot meansattached to said rectangular and planar base for movably combining freeends of said inverted U-shaped support members; and (iii) substantiallyopen side areas; and c) at least two hanging hooks protruding from topedge of said rectangular base in substantially same plane as saidrectangular base.
 2. The portable sunshield apparatus, according toclaim 1, wherein said expandable canopy assembly has a flexible screenpanel proximal top edge of said rectangular and planar base.
 3. Theportable sunshield apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein apredetermined length of said substantially rectangular and planar baseis between about ten to about 20 inches.
 4. The portable sunshieldapparatus, according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined width of saidsubstantially rectangular and planar base is between about twelve toabout twenty inches.
 5. The portable sunshield apparatus, according toclaim 1, wherein said substantially open side areas contain screens. 6.The portable sunshield apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said atleast two hanging hooks are removable.
 7. The portable sunshieldapparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said at least two hanging hooksare bendable.
 8. The portable sunshield apparatus, according to claim 1,wherein said opaque material has an SPF rating of at least
 30. 9. Theportable sunshield apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein a portion ofsaid opaque material in said canopy assembly is screen material.
 10. Theportable sunshield apparatus, according to claim 1, whereinsubstantially U-shaped support members form substantially 90-degreeangles between two vertical segments and a horizontal segment of eachsaid U-shaped support member.